Family of five kicked off JetBlue flight after confrontation with airline manager

A family of five said they were removed from a JetBlue flight on July 2 without reason following a confrontation with an airline employee.

Tamir and Mandy Raanan were allegedly asked to leave a flight from Fort Lauderdale to New York while traveling with their three young daughters after another passenger complained that the youngest daughter was kicking her seat, the Daily Mail reported.

Mandy said that after her apology was accepted by the woman, she and her family were still asked to leave the plane.

In a video taken on the plane, JetBlue manager Armando Gonzalez is heard telling the family “we can discuss outside the plane. What I need you to do is come with me outside the plane.”

The couple repeatedly asked at the gate why they were removed; Gonzalez responded that they “were removed from the airplane because you were not cooperating with me, at this point if you want more information about the incident you’ll have to call 1-800-jetblue.”

The Raanan’s luggage was not removed from the plane, leaving the family an extra night in Florida without their belongings, and they were later told at the airport the following morning that they were banned from all future flights with JetBlue while the airline investigates, the Daily Mail reported.

JetBlue, however, has refuted the family’s version of the incident.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, JetBlue said “After a verbal altercation that included physical threats and profanities against a nearby customer, the aircraft door was reopened and our airports team politely asked the customers to step off to discuss the situation.”

The statement went on to say that they will continue to “investigate whether the customers’ behavior warrants restrictions on JetBlue travel” and thanked their crew members for their “professional handling” of the incident.